Background

Protection of the Rouge Valley was made possible by the efforts of dedicated local citizens who, for decades, fought to save the Valley from development, and the Ontario provincial government who responded by creating the present-day 47-square-kilometre Rouge Park. Accessible to millions of urban Canadians, the park plays an important role in connecting people with nature and encouraging nature stewardship. As such, it is imperative that nature conservation be the top priority in legislation in order to ensure this unique, urban-based ecosystem is not “loved to death” or does not degrade over time. In addition to the ecological value of Rouge Park, the area also has a rich cultural heritage, important to Indigenous Peoples and to European settlers whose legacy of farming continues today.

A timeline of recent events to help create Rouge National Urban Park:

The federal government announces their commitment to establish Rouge National Urban Park, under the management of Parks Canada in 2011;

The federal government tables Bill C-40, The Rouge National Urban Park Act in 2014;

This legislation fails to prioritize the protection of ecological integrity in park management;

CPAWS Wildlands League repeats its call for nature conservation to be the first priority in the legislation and park management plan;

We request that Ontario ensure no provincial lands are transferred to the federal government for the purposes of creating the Rouge National Urban Park until these issues are resolved.

Ontario sends a letter to the federal government indicating that it would not transfer provincially held lands until Bill C-40 was amended to meet or exceed the “standards and policies has put in place to protect green space and environmentally sensitive land” on September 2, 2014. You can read more here and here. We welcome the move by Ontario, please see here;

The federal government tables a bill that would fix a critical weakness in the law—the failure to prioritize nature conservation in park management and meet the international definition of a protected area. Wildlands League welcomes the bill on June 9, 2016;

The bill receives Royal Assent on June 20, 2017. Nature conservation is now the priority in park management in law for the Rouge. This is a huge milestone. Read more here.

Now we wait for the Ontario announcement transferring its provincially held lands in the Rouge to the federal government.

Adjacent to the park are federally owned “Pickering Lands“. Ensuring meaningful connectivity for wildlife means ensuring continued protection of the “Pickering Lands”. In 2017, Transport Canada announced the transfer of 21km2 of land to Parks Canada for Rouge National Urban Park.

Parks Canada is required to develop a Park Management Plan. We anticipate the management plan will be updated to reflect the new priority in law, the protection of ecological integrity.

Rouge Park

Our 5th Annual Paddle the Rouge happened on June 16, 2018. It was a huge success and we had glorious weather. Visit paddletherouge.com for details about the upcoming 2019 paddle.

The Government of Ontario recently transferred and released its interest in 22.8 km2 of lands to Parks Canada to help complete Rouge National Urban Park. See latest news here. This is a magnificent milestone and a long time coming.

Rouge Park is located on the eastern boundary of the City of Toronto and houses much of the lower Rouge River watershed – one of the last in Western Lake Ontario to remain free of urban development. Bounded by Markham and Scarborough to the west, Pickering to the east and Stouffville to the north, the 47km2 Rouge Park provides a bastion against urban sprawl. It protects a rare Carolinian forest, is home to over 1,700 species of plants and animals, including 23 species at risk, and provides the only protected ecological connection for wildlife between the Oak Ridges Moraine and Lake Ontario in the Toronto area.

Why we care

With 7 million people living within a one hour drive of the Rouge Valley, it is imperative that nature conservation is prioritized in the law and subsequent management plan to ensure this remarkable natural area and its wildlife are enjoyed by generations to come.

Putting nature conservation first is also consistent with the international definition and guidance for protected areas.

A natural stronghold against urban sprawl in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Rouge Park is home to over 1700 species of plants and animals including 23 species at risk. The Rouge Valley also contains one of Ontario’s best remaining examples of Carolinian Forest and the last intact watershed in the area.

The only wildlife corridor from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine, in the Toronto area, is protected by Rouge Park. Potential commercial and industrial development of the “Pickering Lands” poses a serious risk to species, particularly those that require more space to supply all of their habitat needs (such as otter and Great Blue Heron).

Solution

Prioritize Nature:

In such a busy urban landscape, assuring the long-term health of the park will require strong management tools that prioritize conservation and provide clear guidance for visitor use. The law must clearly state that the protection of ecological integrity is the first priority of the Minister in park management.

Connected lands:

Adjacent to the park are federally owned “Pickering Lands”. If they are developed, one of the last intact wildlife corridors running from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine would be compromised, which would pose a serious problem for wildlife in the Rouge, and in the entire region.